I go away for a week and the world collapses. While most of you probably noticed that Russell Brand is available again, the other Major Separation was at Capital Gains and Games, which is now exclusively Stan Collender’s as “principal writer and managing editor.”

*If Samwick is the blogsphere equivalent of Sammy Hagar,** then Vox Baby was “I Can’t Drive 55,” while the new one will be…uh, someone help me out here. He’s already got a Brad DeLong link, which may be a better equivalent than the post-VH solo Hagar did.

Relatedly, James Salt (probably h/t Felix) notes that “generous” UK banks are playing reporting games. (The US version is to deny the rework and leave the asset marked at unsustainable levels.)

That this is spot-on would make me sadder if I thought we still lived in anything resembling a meritocracy, or even a developing economy.

If we needed further evidence of that, the state with the best secondary eduction system in the country is pushing forward with privatize-the-gains.

I’m more and more convinced that China “is different,” but very much not certain the differences will make an ultimate difference. Daniel Gross is inclined to think not. More on this as I finally finish my review of BoomBustOlogy, which you should expect to see some time before the apocalypse.

Go read what you missed, and what we will all miss going forward. UPDATE: For instance, this post, which is both (1) the only valuable thing ever to be sourced to treating a David Brooks column as if it were rational and (2) a much more generous reflection on economics that the data currently appears to warrant (until you realise the math/model that will be required to reach the goal).

I’m certain that everyone is waiting with bated breath to see if my five-part “NOT totally clueless” series is completed in five parts or if it gets extended again, but a couple of personal events have intervened, so I’ll be away for a few days.

Full disclosure: I had a Press Pass to the Clinton Global Initiative, and got things such as a disc copy of Financial Football* and a video ostensibly about the Rwandan National Forests (sadly, not so interesting) as a result.

*It’s not my fault Visa describes it as “Financial Soccer” on the U.S. edition of their website.